Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 video review

Lenovo has produced some weird and wonderful Windows 8 devices recently, and this is the rather striking Yoga 11. Not to be confused with the Yoga 13, which runs full-blown Windows 8, the Yoga 11 runs Windows RT, which is the tablet version of Windows 8.

This makes it more of a "tablet with a built-in keyboard" than a proper laptop that can double up as a tablet.

Inside is an NVidia Tegra 3 processor instead of an Intel chip, but this is no problem as it's both fast and power-efficient : the Yoga lasted an amazing 10 hours when streaming video from iPlayer.

Things aren't always totally slick: there's a noticeable delay when you rotate the screen, and the Yoga does feel the strain if you have too many apps running.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11: build quality

It's well built, though, and has a durable hinge that allows the touchscreen to fold right back on itself. When you do this, the keyboard is disabled and you can use the touchscreen just like a traditional tablet. You can even use that hinge to prop the Yoga on your desk for watching videos or making Skype calls.

At 1.3kg, it's twice the weight of an iPad but doesn't feel overly heavy.

The screen is bit bigger than on the Retina iPad but has a lower resolution, so doesn't look as crisp.

However, the great keyboard and touchpad makes this a far better machine for getting work done, and Microsoft Office comes pre-loaded. This runs on the traditional Windows desktop, but don't be fooled: you can't install all those other Windows programs you know and love: this beauty will run only the apps you can get in the new Windows App Store.

The Yoga 11 is well connected, with an HDMI output, headphone socket, SD card slot and a pair of USB 2 ports. The speakers aren't very loud, but they're good enough for the occasional bout of catch-up TV. At the moment there's just one model available with 64GB of storage, but there is a silver version if the orange here is too gaudy.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11: verdict

The Yoga 11 is no workhorse, but it's perfectly adequate for web browsing, running Microsoft Office or streaming video. It's comfortable to use in both laptop and tablet modes, and the impressive battery life means it can work just as hard as you can.